That extra cash is an award for employees who undergo the rigorous process of earning certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

In recent years, Hampton has touted how many of its employees earn that prestigious certification. It leads the region in the total number of nationally-board certified teachers (134) and is fourth in the state, trailing behind only much-larger districts in Northern Virginia.

The local pay incentive of $2,000 each year, which has been given since December 2004 according to the district, is on the chopping block in Superintendent Linda Shifflette’s proposed $191.1 million budget for 2012-2013.

So are stipends for teachers who serve as instructional leaders in elementary and middle schools.

The district says it will save $485,000 by cutting those teachers’ paychecks — but that it will back off from those cuts if the city raises the real estate tax to help fill the school system’s budget gap.

The city is cutting school funding by $2.3 million because of decreased tax revenue; school officials want the amount to remain level to this year’s $66.3 million. Read that story here.

The evening that Shifflette revealed her proposed budget, two nationally-board certified teachers asked the board not to approve the pay cut.

One pointed to the irony of Hampton providing less incentive for teachers to earn the certification.

“”It is a blow to us and bad PR for a school system that continues to announce the number of national-board certified teachers on its website,” said teacher Keith Harrington. “Please reconsider the stipends, level funding from the city or not.”

All board-certified teachers currently receive an annual stipend from the state — $5,000 the first year and $2,500 for the next nine years. It’s up to localities to add to that if they want.

Christine Woods, a media specialist at Kecoughtan High School, told the board that the state stipend is great, but that “every year, we hold our breath not knowing if we’re going to get that supplement from the state, either.”

She said earning the certification has changed her dramatically.

“You don’t just put that certificate away, it doesn’t sit on the wall and collect dust,” she told the board. “Teachers must reflect on lessons and analyze teaching strategies with videos and many, many pages of writing. I have really been affected by the process every day.”

What do you think – should Hampton take away the pay stipend for nationally-board certified teachers? If not, what should they cut instead?